fcholaftics. By this means he attacked powerful parties, and expofed himfelf to heavy perfecuions, which failed not to fhew themselves the moment the bock was published. A whole cloud of critics were inftantly up in arms against it, nor could he escape repeated infults. The immortal reputation which this great performance procured him, coft him his repofe, and almost his life.

The firit who attacked him were Nicholas Beckman, profeffor of law, and Joshua Schwartz, profeffor of divinity, who published together an anonymous writing, intitled, « A lift of certain novelties advanced by Mr. Samuel Puffendorff, againft orthodox principles, in his book on the law of nature and nations;" in which he is roughly treated, and called reproach fully a Pagan, Zuinglian, Socinian, Papift, Pelagian, Hobbefian, and Cartefian.

Puffendorff in reply published in 1674, An Apology as well for himself as his book against the author of a defamatory libel, intitled, " A Lift, &c." fetting forth the malice of his antagonists. But the magistrates of Sweden vindicated him ftill more effectually: they treated the lift as a pafquinade and a libel; ordered it to be cut to pieces, and burned by the hands of the executioner, and that profeffor Beckman fhould be difplaced and banished the kingdom; this was executed in April 1675. The court of Sweden alfo interpofed in the affair. It received the lift; and fuch endeavours had been fed to prejudice that court against

the law of nature and nations, that it appeared to be alarmed at the pretended innovations found in that book. For peace lake, therefore, at the folicitations of M. Shertzer, profeffor of divinity at Leipfic, a decree of the king was granted, enjoining all profeffors to watch, with the ut moft poffible care, to proferve the youth from every innovation contrary to orthodoxy, and the doctrine received by the univerfity. The end of obtaining this decree, was to give a fanction to the trou bling Puffendorff; he faw through the defign, and prevented the blow by a Latin letter, which he published in 1674.

The fecond profeffor who entered the lifts with our philofopher, was Valentine Alberti. This theologift's first effay was in the preface of a manufcript commen tary which he dictated to his scholars, upon Grotius's rights of war and peace. He then publifhed a criticism in an "Abridg. ment of the law of nature, rendered conformable to orthodox theology." Puffendorff answered it in a writing, intitled, " An effay on the controverfies against Samuel Puffendorff, respecting the law of nature :" to which Alberti replied by an Effay by way of replication to the Effay on the controverfies, &c." Our philofopher oppofed to this reply his famous book, Eris Scandica, i. e. The difcord of Schone; and his antagonift anfwered it by a writing, entitled Eros Lipficus, which was treated with great contempt in a work, in which the calumnies and

3

and alfo

futility

futility of that critic are expofed. There paffed alfo fome very fmart pamphlets on each fide; till at length fome common friends, as much fatigued with this literary war as Puffendorff, fet themfelves to put an end to it: they effect ed their purpose, and the two combatants laid down their arms, The queftion agitated in this dif pute was, "Whether the law of nature was to be derived from nature, before, or after, the fall of man, in the ftate of fin, or of innocence?" a queftion merely theological, and which might have been kept from a philofophical work.

This difpute was fcarcely ended, when Meffrs. Beckman and Schwartz began theirs anew. The firft, in defpair at having injured himfelf, while he aimed at hurting our philofopher, confidered in his exile only how to revenge himself. He began by publishing a very fatirical piece against him, in which he treats him as a devil incarnate. The title alone is a fufficient indication of the most unbridled rage*.

After this ftroke, M. Beckman determined to attack him perfonally; accordingly, he challenged him to a duel, and wrote to him from Copenhagen, where he then was, demanding a reafon for his conduct, by way of arms, and pointing out the place where he was to meet and fight with him; at the fame time threatening to pursue him wherever he might be,

if he failed the appointment. Our philofopher paid no regard to this letter, and, without deigning to anfwer it, fent it to the confiftory of the academy, who proceeded against Beckman. This circumftance worked up his rage to the highest pitch. He meditated how to affaffinate his adverfary, bat was happily checked in his defign: the only refource left him was to vent his gall upon paper. He did fo, attempting to render Puffendorff odious by repeated writings; all of which were either refuted by the latter himfelf, or his friends.

Schwartz, during the procefs of his confederate, had kept a prudent filence, and behaved with the fame circumfpection, till he had procured a poft elsewhere; having obtained which, he quitted his profeffor's chair at Lunden, and retired to Denmark. There, under the name of Severin Wildfchutz, whofe mother he had married, he published a writing, intitled, "A difcuffion of the calumnies bafely advanced in the Eris Scandica of Samuel Puffendorff, against a venerable man, under the pretence of a lift of his errors, &c." Puffendorff, fatiated with these kind of hoftilities, did not think proper to give this difcuffion a ferious anfwer, but contented himfelf with refuting it by a letter, which he fuppofed written by Joshua Schwartz, to his fon-inlaw Severin Wildfchyffius; giving the name of the latter an ironical termination to express the

contempt

a

Other fatirical writings appear ed against our philofopher; which he took no pains to answer: more important office engaged his time; the abridgement of his treatife of the laws of nature and nations, which he published in 1673, under the title De officio bominis et civis juxta legem naturalem; "The duty of a man, and a citizen, according to the law of nature;' which he followed, in 1682, by an Introduction to the ge neral and political history of the univerfe. He found that the law of nature and nations could not be confidered as an history, and that without it, it is but an abstract fpeculation, and apt to mislead. This work had alfo its utility independent of every other confideration. In the abridgments of hiftory published before his introduction, the writers had neglected to refer back to the general principles common to all human focieties, however they might have confidered thofe particular ones which are fo effential to this or that people, as not to be given up without danger: Principles dependant upon the fituation of the country, the manners and genius of the inhabitants, the greater or leis power of its neighbours, its own forces, which are not always in the fame degree, and a variety of other circumfances. In his introduction, our philofopher attended to all thefe; it was highly esteemed by all men of learning; and by them affiduoully spread through the world, in various tranflations which they made of it into different langua.

ges.

of his study, disturbances took place in the province of Schonen, where he then refided: and it foon became the feat of war: upon this he left Lunden, and retired to Stockholm, where he was received by the court with the greatest dif tinction, and honoured with the place of fecretary and hiftoriographer to the king. In this character he wrote his excellent history of Sweden, in twenty-fix books, commencing with the arrival of Gustavus Adolphus in Germany, and concluding with the abdication of Chriftina. It is indeed efteemed the best history now extant, of that famous war which laid Germany wafte for thirty years together. It appeared in 1685, and was afterwards continued by our author, with the life of Charles Guttavus, king of Sweden, and fucceffor to Chriftina; but the continuation was not publifhed till a long time after. Du ring this interval,

in the year

1687, he printed a little tract upon the connection between religion and civil life; the design of which is to fet juft bounds betwixt ecclefiaftical and civil power, with a view to establish public tranquillity. To this he afterwards added an appendix, refuting the principles of Adrian Houtin, refpecting the power of fovereigns in religious matters.

All thefe works, particularly his great history of Sweden, gained. Puffendorff fo high a reputation, that fovereign princes zealously made interet to leave to pofte rity the hiftory of their admini ftration written by fo celebrated a pen. Frederick William, elector of Brandenburg, invited him to Ber

lin, and appointed him his hiftoriographer; and almoft at the fame time, he was folicited by the emperor Leopold to write the history of his reign. Private reafons forbade him to accept the latte request. He remained, there fore, at the court of Brandenburg which, the more laftingly to attach him to its interefts, honoured him with the dignity of a privy counfellor. The emperor, far from taking ill our author's preference of this court, gave him a ftriking proof of his efteem, by conferring upon him the title of Baron of the holy empire. Puffendorff took care properly to thank the emperor for fo high a favour; but thought it did not become him to interrupt the Hiftory of the elector Frederick William the Great, which he had begun. He finished it under the infpection of Frederick III. elector of Brandenburg, first king of Pruffia. Always the friend to truth, he had written with greater fincerity than the court of Berlin required. He had freely availed himself of the archives of the houfe of Brandenburg, and had drawn from thence a variety of myfterious facts, the publication of which appeared dangerous. It was thought prudent not to reveal fecrets which ought to be kept entirely with minifters. For this reafon the history did not appear till after a fevere revifal, in which the cenfors erased what

ever they thought proper. Cau

made in it, and in fome places whole pages fuppreffed.

Our philofopher did not live to fee the end of the impreffion. A diforder in his foot, which ha neglected, brought him to the grave: a flight matter at first; but it turned to an inflammation, followed by a gangrene. There remained no other refource for avoiding the progrefs of the complaint, than to cut off his foot, and he could not refolve to give his confent. The elector of Brandenburg, who wished to fave his life, whatever it might coft, engaged the phyficians and furgeons to use every effort to promote a cure. They were of opinion that their patient's fear of the pains of amputation outweighed the fear of death: they concluded therefore to compofe him, and cut off his leg as he lay afleep. The operation was performed with fuccefs: and our author, on waking, found himself better; but when he learned what had paffed in his fleep, it fo powerfully. chagrined him, that the fever, infeparable from this kind of ope ration, increased, and carried him off in a short time. He died October 26, 1695, aged fixty-three years.

An account of the life and writings of George Buchanan; extracted from the French of M. le Clerc.

Eorge Buchanan was born in

recur to when the work was published; feveral alterations were

mily, which confifted of five fons and three daughters, in great po

verty,

verty. Nevertheless, James Heriot, George Buchanan's uncle, having obferved in him fome marks of genius, took the charge of his education, and fent him to udy at Paris. He there applied himself to Latin poetry, partly by inclination, and partly as that was the principal branch of the Belles Lettres then cultivated in the uniyerfity at Paris. He had fcarce been there, two years, when his uncle died. Indigence, and an illness with which he was attacked, then obliged him to return to Scotland. After living a year at home, for the recovery of his health, he went into the army, with a defign to learn the art of war. This was probably in the year 1523, when John Duke of Albany, viceroy of Scotland, carried fuccours from France into Scotland against the English, with which, however, he could not take the fort of Werk on the Tweed; as Buchanan fays (in his Life) that on account of the fnows that fell, he drew off his army without attempting any thing.

He fell ill again, and kept his bed all the winter: but being recovered at the beginning of the year 1524, as he was then in his 18th year, he resumed his ftudies, and was fent to St. Andrew's, to Atudy under John Major, who then raught logic there, or rather, as Buchanan fays, fophiftry, or the art of difputing, in the manner of

the chief fubject of difcourfe at Paris, Buchanan there began to imbibe the doctrine of the reformers, though he did not profefs it, either through fear, or because he had not yet examined their fyftem. He lived there almost two years, without any employment, fo that he could fcarce find fubfiftence; but at length in 1526 he was made regent in the college of St. Barbe, and taught grammar there, being then twenty years old.

He continued in this office about three years; before the expiration of which, Gilbert Kennedy, Earl of Caffilis, took him into his family, where he kept him five years, and carried him with him into Scotland, about the year 1534. Buchanan had a defign of returning to France, in order to purfue his fludies there, but K. James V. detained him to be tutor to one of his natural fons, who was afterwards the famous James Earl of Murray., Buchanan, who, on account of his religious fentiments, or of his polite learning, to which the monks in general then were enemies, was no friend to the Cordeliers, had written a fatirical elegy against them, entitled Somnium.

In it he pretends, that St., Francis had appeared to him, and invited him to turn Franciscan; but that he replied, that, he was by no means qualified, as he

could be a flave to no man, nor could he become impudent, a

fides, very few monks were faved."

As Luther's tenets were then

The Cordeliers having had a copy of this poem, complained of it; and as that was not fufficient to ruin him, they accufed him of herefy; a charge of which they at

that